Sound System Upgrade in a 97 Sport

[jtnhra]

I just bought a 1997 Sport, I want to upgrade the sound system but I have a few questions. It has the Factory Premium Sound system but its not the JBL system. I want to install new speakers and an amp. I went to the local audio store and was told that I may not be able to do this because of the way that the factory amp was wired in, and that because of this I may have to install and new deck to. Yet would like to keep from doing this if possible because I have a factory changer and want to keep it if possible.

Any ideas or suggestions would be great.
Thanks

 

[Adam]

Go someplace else. A buddy of mine did the same thing with speakers and an amp in his 98 sport (since then he has replaced the head unit for more power). Where ever you went, they don't know what they are talking about.

 

[RedTitan]

I have a 97 sport with the same factory system its probaly best if you bought a new head unit and ran the speakers off that, however in the back right panel you need to disconnect the factory amp and get a bypass module from Crutchfield.com and run the wires to the back of the head unit taking the factory amplifier out of the picture.

 

[Skippman]

Aparently the installer you went to forgot about a little somthing called LINE LEVEL INPUTS!

Sheash... to think he calls himself a professional.

Here's how it will work. You'll re-route the existing speaker leads from the head unit to the new amp. Most midgrade amps (RF, Crossfire, MTX, etc.) come with somthing called Line Level Inputs. These are designed for head-units that don't sport RCA outputs. So follow this:

1.) Run the speaker outputs from the HU to the AMP
2.) Wire them to the line level inputs.
3.) Run the output of the amp to the speakers.
4.) Adjust the gain on the inputs to match the HU

It's that simple. It's going to take twice as much wire, but it can be done. Down the road you will find yourself wanting to swap out the headunit so concern yourself with a quality amp at this point. It's important to note that the higher end stuff (Memphis, Zapco, PPI, P-Gold) does not have line level inputs. These amps are designed to be used strictly with an aftermarket HU.

 

[rockymntnhi]

I have a 98' Sport , Initially I installed a Fosgate amp and JL sub using the factory deck. Before the install the shop recommended a new deck , they told me the factory deck would work but sound quality would be poor . I'm thinkin' how bad could it be , anythings better than stock ! Well I was wrong , It sounded so shi^&y I was back in 2 days for a new Deck and hell well I was already there we installed another amp and 6.5" seperates , it sounds sweeeet now... Do it right the first time , install a new deck, but go to a different shop, if they don't already know how to bypass the factory amp , well , don't trust em' w/ your baby........